Valkesh army sergeant Nix Marr reluctantly accompanies the woman she once loved to look into a crime in an isolated outpost and discovers the danger to her heart is the least of her worries in This Gilded Abyss, the first volume in the Titan's Wrath steampunk horror trilogy by Rebecca Thorne (Can't Spell Treason Without Tea; Alchemy and a Cup of Tea).
Subarch Kessandra is beloved, the only member of the royal family to serve in the army. Nix wants to leave their affair buried in the past, but Kess wants Nix to accompany her to the underwater city of Fall to investigate a massacre, and Nix's parents could use the benefits of royal gratitude. On board the submersible to Fall, Kess explains that the massacre appears to have been the result of a disease characterized by uncontrollable, violent impulses--and it rapidly becomes clear that the disease is present on the submersible.
Thorne has crafted a taut, atmospheric fantasy full of both romance and peril. Nix and Kess have few people they can trust on their claustrophobia-inducing ship, and it's by no means clear if they can trust each other. The gradual pace at which readers learn what brought about the end of their romance mirrors their cautious reconciliation. Scenes of cinematically described violence combine with the latent disease's lingering menace to generate an inescapable sense of suspense. Fans will be eager to see what awaits in the next installment. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library